crimdon dene - hartlepool

[deansmith]

my local birding patch is crimdon dene in hartlepool
as its litterally at the bottom of my street

which has a small area of woodland with a mix of trees and and area of dunes with alot of dune grasses and gourze bushed with some running becks that have a few reeds leading to crimdon beach which you can walk either towards blackhall rocks or the other way to the headland

most birders know the beach as the protected area that the little terns nest on every year.

other birds i see regualry there are > stonechat, reed bunting, GS woodpecker, pied and grey wagtail, song thrush, blue tit, great tit, willow tit, lont tailed tit, wren and alot of gulls on the beach with sanderling, oyster catcher and redshank ussually present. eiders on the sea near steetley pier

i have also seen wheatear and black tailed godwit here but not as often

il post sightings here in the future and it would be cool to hear what other people see / have seen here .

DS

[rokermartin]

Hi i go to Crimdon Dene a lot and Blackhall Rocks there is always something of interest to see.I have seen Snow Buntings before at Crimdon and there was Shorelark a couple of years ago.I can remember autumn and winter of 2005 there were huge numbers of Common Scoters,17 Velvet Scoters and 2 Long tailed Ducks on the sea between Blackhall and Crimdon.I regularly seen RT Divers,RB Mergansers ,Goldeneyes,GC Grebes in the winter.Summer and early autumn is a good time i have seen lots of Terns and Skuas and i often see Little Gulls and the odd Med Gull now and again.The coast between Castle Eden Dene and Crimdon used to be excellent for large numbers of Little Gull gathering but they dont seem to occur anymore in big numbers.If i see anything interesting i will post it on the thread.

[IanF]

Likewise I love the place though I don't get there as often as I'd like. I came across a Shorelark there 3rd Nov 2006 with a single Twite and a single Snow Bunting at the back of the beach by the stream. Several Red-throated Divers as well that day so now is a good time to keep regular checks. A Red-necked Grebe was there a few weeks ago.
The woods of the Dene itself get decent birds as well with migrants dropping in but Willow Tit I've seen there regularly as well which is a good species for that area of the County.
Next time I go I'll add what I've seen.

[deansmith]

thanks i have to admit i rarely look out to sea or walk on the shoreline and ussually end up around the viaduct

with me not a driver and going about on foot/bike or bus then this is a handy place for me to just walk along too especially if theres something interesting about


on the 12/11/08 i did see a fem. ketrel chasing a crow then another crow appeared and the chaser became chased,

next year will be my first full year of birding so il get to see all 4 seasons and see the birds than come and go along the way

DS

[deansmith]

walk along beach towards the headland today >

usual gulls in usual numbers
sanderling around 20
redshank - 2
turnstone - around 10
ringed plover - 1

male stonechat

[rokermartin]

Quick visit ths morning nothing much doing on the sea 6 RB Mergansers,4 GC Grebes and the usual gulls on the beach.Up the coast at Blackhall nothing much there either 59 Eiders and a couple of Stonechats.

[deansmith]

treecrepper and gsw x1 double figures easy of blue and great tit
willow and coal tit also seen 3 - 4 of each

lots of robins and blackbirds

few goldfinch about and heard a wren

could also hear a pheasent walking back home seen around 6 in the field near the caravan park

the trees to the right where the bridge crosses the beck near the viaduct is prooving a great place for numerous species of tit, it has a path through it worn down by dog walkers i guess and the trees at the bottom where the beck is always provides plenty of blue and great tits with other species tagging along

[deansmith]

skylarks back again now, numbers increasing over the last week, ring plovers chasing each other all over the place mainly around the rocky sands where the terns nest

DS

[deansmith]

straight out after a night shift

4 willow tit, 2 wren, 5-6 reed bunting, 2 p.wagtail, 4 ringed plover, gc grebe on sea and 3 birds really far out (should of took the scope) looked like 2 guillemot and a rt diver what i could get through the bins. pair of stonechats collecting nesting material

[deansmith]

trying to photograph linnet here not easy there always on the move ! flock of around 40 last 2 visits , reed bunting and stonechat both getting ready for nesting. skylarks ever present pair of great crested grebes on the sea and double figures of red breasted merganser also seen. a few yellowhammer about.

[deansmith]

first chiffchaff of the year here on 1st april. linnet numbers ever growing starting to get a bit of a red flush on them now would make a nice photo if theyd stay still ! alot of 'regular' woodland birds, tits ect showing obv. signs of getting ready to breed.

[rokermartin]

Had a quick visit today birds of note in the Dene area 6 Chiffchaffs,1 Willow Warbler,3 Blackcaps,6 Swallows and in the dunes 1 Wheatear,2 Stoncehats.Just waiting for the Whitethroats,House Martins and the Little Terns to arrive now.

[deansmith]

30+ linnet this morning and double figures of redshank on shoreline

[deansmith]

not strictly crimdon dene but the first mile or so of hart to haswell walkway runs along and behind crimdon dene boundry - mainly a walk to see if gs woodpecker nest site is being used no sign of activity at any nest holes but 1 woodpecker in the area.

chiffchaff, willow warbler and blackcap seen along with usual woodland birds - goldfinch, chaffinch, yellowhammer, wren, dunnock, blackbird, blue, great and long tailed tit - robins collecting nesting material.

tawny owl heard again in same area but the dense woodland it seems to be in is private land though only 5 minutes flyover from my house so good chance its where the 3 owls we get in the garden come from.

mallard, coot and moorhen on big pond.

[deansmith]

10 swallows around pony world.

[rokermartin]

7 Little Terns this morning flying offshore and seen resting on beach.Other birds seen RT Diver,3 Sandwich Terns,3 Whitethroats,2,Willow Warbler,1 Chiffchaffs and all three hirundines.At least 2 of the Swallows were gathering mud.

[deansmith]

double figures of swallows and 4 house martins around the beck, linnet hopping from gourze bushes, 2 ringed plover on muddy beck bank 1 with silver leg ring. whitethroat singing and a yellow wagtail ( male - first for me here ) on the pathway on the walk down.

3 little terns fishing about 200m ofshore and a great creasted grebe close in on the sea.

the little tern nesting area gets fenced off on wednesday for those interested.

[IanF]

double figures of swallows and 4 house martins around the beck, linnet hopping from gourze bushes, 2 ringed plover on muddy beck bank 1 with silver leg ring. whitethroat singing and a yellow wagtail ( male - first for me here ) on the pathway on the walk down.

3 little terns fishing about 200m ofshore and a great creasted grebe close in on the sea.

the little tern nesting area gets fenced off on wednesday for those interested.

I must have just missed you Dean. I was there mid-morning. Saw the Terns and Swallows and had a chat with the warden. Yellowhammer, Linnet and Whitethroat on the north side as well.

[deansmith]

I must have just missed you Dean. I was there mid-morning. Saw the Terns and Swallows and had a chat with the warden. Yellowhammer, Linnet and Whitethroat on the north side as well.


i was sat on the bench with my scope for around 2 hours around 11am - 1pm
i had a walk down early this morning hoping for terns and got a nice singing whitethroat but got lucky with the terns on a re visit after seeing what the weather would decide too do.

i have just been down after the rain and 7 terns present fishing very close ofshore

no doubt il see you down there sometime soon ian when more terns arrive (though again youl end up with far better photos than me ! )

i also had a chat with trevor, he has already started his hedgehog relocation programe !

[IanF]

i was sat on the bench with my scope for around 2 hours around 11am - 1pm
i had a walk down early this morning hoping for terns and got a nice singing whitethroat but got lucky with the terns on a re visit after seeing what the weather would decide too do.

i have just been down after the rain and 7 terns present fishing very close ofshore

no doubt il see you down there sometime soon ian when more terns arrive (though again youl end up with far better photos than me ! )

i also had a chat with trevor, he has already started his hedgehog relocation programe !

Can't have missed you by much. I was just getting in the car to go as Trevor arrived - needless to say 30 mins later I was still there ;)

He told me about the hedgehogs and the fox. Sounds like he may have the problem licked for this year :t:

[deansmith]

yes trevors quite a charecter ian, but loves them terns !

28 little terns this afternoon, mainly resting on beach, also linnet, whitethroat, yellowhammer, swallow, ringed plover, sanderling, reed bunting, 1 sand martin and 2 rt divers on the sea

[deansmith]

2 sandich terns with the little terns 6pm

[deansmith]

around 40 little terns now, 4 rt diver, 1 cormorant, 1 gc grebe and a guillemot on the sea today. turnstone with young on the beach. house martins flying with inches of me when i was sat on the bench !

[deansmith]

as well as the usual birds mentioned above in previous postings in the last couple of weeks i have seen 1 lesser whitethroat and a tree pipit at crimdon dene. little tern numbers seem to be ever growing with more and more birds settling in the now fenced of nesting colony ( they must feel safe once the fence is up or something? ). unfortunatly my birding is restricted too being without a scope or bins as i was attacked by the scum of hartlepool on my way too work and have a damaged eye, therefore if anyone has interesting sightings of the terns (nesting, breeding ect ) id appriciate any info as i follow the terns every year and find them facinating but wont be able to get down and watch myself as much as id like, thanks

DS

[rokermartin]

as well as the usual birds mentioned above in previous postings in the last couple of weeks i have seen 1 lesser whitethroat and a tree pipit at crimdon dene. little tern numbers seem to be ever growing with more and more birds settling in the now fenced of nesting colony ( they must feel safe once the fence is up or something? ). unfortunatly my birding is restricted too being without a scope or bins as i was attacked by the scum of hartlepool on my way too work and have a damaged eye, therefore if anyone has interesting sightings of the terns (nesting, breeding ect ) id appriciate any info as i follow the terns every year and find them facinating but wont be able to get down and watch myself as much as id like, thanks

DSHi i am sorry to hear you were attacked hope your damaged eye gets better and you are soon out and about again.Certainly would 'nt let the scum stop you enjoying your birding.

[deansmith]

thanks rokermartin hopefully il be back out again soon and hopefully the cctv will help the police do something. my eye seems to be heeling and i can sort of use the lighter pair of bins we have but i still feel a bit unsure about wandering about on my own, ive only lived in hartlepool 2 years but weve decided once my partners finsihed university we'l be leaving town

[deansmith]

i had a look down yesterday after all the wind and rain had gone, there were alot of dunlin, ringed plover on the beach. alot more terns than my last visit. linnet, p.wtail, wheatear, meadow pipit, stonechat, yellowhammer, whitethroat and goldfinch also seen.

the sea was raging 3 birds caught my eye flying low over the breaking waves a quick look with the bins and i had a new patch tick - gannets

i have been told that the recent weather made the coast the best place to be too see something a bit more scarce so far today ive made it to the footpath twice before the rain made me scarce !

[NeilF]

Couple of hours down Crimdon Dene this morning noted the following;

1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3pr Ringed Plover (1pr had 3 chicks), 80-100 Sanderling (variety of plumages), 5 Dunlin, 1 Redshank, 2 Turnstone, 30+ Little Tern, 1 Wheatear.

[deansmith]

little terns numbers around 70 now. 3 swifts seen yesterday with the usual birds as mentioned above.

[deansmith]

first visit for about a week a quick 20 mins mainly to catch up with the terns. alot seem to be resting on the colony now in pairs. as for numbers they are impossible to count ! moving around alot but definalty twice as mainly as i seen on my last visit a guess would be 60 - 70 birds.

[deansmith]

(attempt !) at a tern count today. 63 in the air after being disturbed on the colony. they all seem to be settled down now with there own little patch. other birds seen. c.whitethroat, skylark, linnet and meadow pipit. usual woodland birds on the hart to haswell walkway, both frog ponds with tadpoles. swallows over the big pond and a great tit nesting inside an old metal fence post, t. sparrow nesting in the bushes on the walkway down to crimdon

[rokermartin]

Hi Dean hope you have recovered from your attack glad you are getting out birding again.

[deansmith]

another quick visit inbetween work again, kestrel chasing a linnet over the dunes when i arrived. a few little terns seem to be settled on nests now with 3 or 4 diferent pairs being brought a steady supply of fish. large float of c.scoter on the sea and a ringed plover family with 3 little fluff ball chicks feeding in the muddy beck. pied wagtail and sky lark also seen here.

whitethroat taking food into nest and a recently fledged stonechat only otherbirds of note.

noticably less birds seen now

[deansmith]

another visit today with a bit more time, bumped into trevor there are 60 little terns sat on nests and 3 showing signs of nesting ( or may already be on nests by now )

2 ringed plover familys have already hatched with 3 and 4 chicks and another 3 ringed plovers are sat on nests at the moment.

as for other birds seen today, 1 fulmar out to sea and fledglings of stonechat, song thrush, p.wagtail,

linnet, yellowhammer and reed bunting also seen

[deansmith]

not seen by myself but a friend who visits everyday told me that the first tern chicks hatched last thursday. a visit yesterday, the colony was pretty quiet only other birds of note was a family of lesser whitethroats. a painted lady butterfly also seen

[deansmith]

saw my first tern chicks today (2) on very brief visit. very hard to spot without a scope seems to be easier to wait for a bird to return from fishing and watch where it lands

hopefully more around soon

Ds

[deansmith]

alot of chicks on the tern colony now, a big thanks to chris brown for letting me use his scope today and showing/explaining the ringing process.

other birds seen inc. linnet, yellowhammer, reed bunting, p.wagtail and skylark. also young jackdaw and ringed plover with chicks.

[deansmith]

usual birds about this morning, most notable on the critter front is the increasing number of butterflies about, painted lady, red admiral, small heath, large white and cinnabar all seen in ever growing numbers over the last week

[deansmith]

first visit in what feels like forever very quiet. few linnet and yellowhammer. 30 or 40 terns on beach quite a few fledglings. 2 stonechat young. rbm on sea. cormorant flew past.


DS

[deansmith]

an hour this morning at 5a.m cut short by the very high tide meaning alot of the area was flooded. kestrel hunting over dunes. around 15 - 20 little terns and 1 common tern. the high tide did mean there was alot of birds close in around 60 ringed pover inc. a good number of young. 3 turnstones, 1 dunlin and a couple of sanderling.

linnet, yellowhammer and reed bunting seen elsewhere. a good number of swifts in the air.

soon be giving up this as my local patch due to moving hopefully the thread will keep going with others imput.

DS

[deansmith]

little gull feeding at 5 am this morning at flooded area bottom of dunes

[Davy Tee]

Hi Dean Ive been told about Crimdon Dean but as being North of the Tyne am not familier with area how would i find it please. Hope your on the mend as well Marra

[deansmith]

Hi Dean Ive been told about Crimdon Dean but as being North of the Tyne am not familier with area how would i find it please. Hope your on the mend as well Marra


being a non driver my directions will be dire so apologies in advance but i usually find it easier to tell people to head for crimdon dene holiday park along the coast road blackhall colliery as taking this turn takes you into the car park atop of the dunes. from there you can wander down into the dene or onto crimdon beach.

google.com/maps can give you directions directly to crimdon dene holiday park if coming north towards hartlepool through blackhall go past the left turn into the holiday park and its your next left turn about half mile along the road under the rail bridge and it leads into the car park (also searching google maps for pony world hartlepool will give directions to the car park )

i hope this helps somewhat its a nice place to wander around and vastly underwatched and of coarse you can continue along through hartlepool and visit some other decent sites.

DS

[Marmot]

This might help if you click it so show the "birds eye view" the area is on the beach
http://www.bing.com/maps/#JndoZXJlMT1DcmltZG9uK1BhcmslMmMrQmxhY2toYWxsK0Nvb GxpZXJ5K1RTMjcrNCZiYj01NC43NDI1ODU0MDU5MTg2JTdlLTE uMjM5ODg2MzQ0MTAxOTIlN2U1NC43MjMyNzE4MTc5ODg0JTdlL TEuMjg0NDc1NTg3MjgwMjc=

[Davy Tee]

Thanks folks been on holiday so only got a chance now to see reply will check out soon are the Little Gulls still there

[deansmith]

i only saw 1 little gull 2 days running in the same part of the dene when it was flooded not sure if its still about have just moved so dont live near crimdon anymore. if your down this way though greatham creek area seems to be good for little gulls and so does saltholme if its a bird your particualry looking to see.

DS

[deansmith]

first time ive looked around my old local patch since moving only birds of note was 9 grey partridge feeding in the farmers field on the pathway down, the rest of the birds in the dene being scared away by people hunting rabbits with dogs obviously this is still a problem down there even though its not allowed